What kind of rides will $1.1 million buy Gaston County?

By Michael Barrett

Published: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 12:50 PM.

Commissioner Chad Brown said the two vans for the library also may not be needed. Current “book swap” policies that involve the county transporting materials between branches probably should be reexamined, considering the gas that practice consumes, he said.

“And now that we don’t have the Gaston-Lincoln Regional Library system anymore, we’re probably not having to travel as much,” he said. “Can we do the same job with one van? There are a lot of different variables.”

The county has flirted with closing several of its branch libraries in recent years to save money. Last year, commissioners cut the hours at those facilities.

Winters said those same deliberations will be taking place again in the coming months.

The county has made a recent habit of not filling positions when they come open due to retirement or employee attrition. Brown said if more situations like that arise this year, he doesn’t want to have bought a new vehicle for a position that ends up going away.

“I don’t want to cut people, and I don’t want to do furloughs,” he said. “I want to find every dollar we can possibly find to save money without raising taxes.”

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike.

A plan for Gaston County to spend nearly $1.2 million to purchase 39 new vehicles has prompted scrutiny from county commissioners.

Officials say they will proceed with buying the vast majority of those cars, trucks, vans and SUVs as planned, from a variety of area dealerships. But the order for a couple of new vans that would be used by the Gaston County Public Library system will likely be axed, due to doubts about whether they’re really needed.

The reconsideration points to the likelihood that the library system will again be targeted for funding cuts and possible branch closures this spring. The county is now preparing its 2014 budget with an estimated $9 million to $11 million shortage of available revenue.

“We’re struggling,” said County Manager Jan Winters. “We’re trying to close the shortfall in the budget. Should one of the recommendations this year be to close branch libraries, that would bring into question the need for those two vehicles.”

County commissioners last summer approved an overall budget that allowed for the 39 vehicles to be purchased. But with another tight budget year staring them in the face, they are second-guessing the investment.

New vehicles for public safety are among those that aren’t being questioned. But a plan to buy three trucks for the environmental health department will probably be tweaked, so that cheaper cars with better gas mileage will be purchased instead.

Commissioner Chad Brown said the two vans for the library also may not be needed. Current “book swap” policies that involve the county transporting materials between branches probably should be reexamined, considering the gas that practice consumes, he said.

“And now that we don’t have the Gaston-Lincoln Regional Library system anymore, we’re probably not having to travel as much,” he said. “Can we do the same job with one van? There are a lot of different variables.”

The county has flirted with closing several of its branch libraries in recent years to save money. Last year, commissioners cut the hours at those facilities.

Winters said those same deliberations will be taking place again in the coming months.

The county has made a recent habit of not filling positions when they come open due to retirement or employee attrition. Brown said if more situations like that arise this year, he doesn’t want to have bought a new vehicle for a position that ends up going away.

“I don’t want to cut people, and I don’t want to do furloughs,” he said. “I want to find every dollar we can possibly find to save money without raising taxes.”

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike.

The following vehicles are slated to be purchased by Gaston County. By law, after bid packages are sent to potential sellers, the county is required to accept the low bid in each case.

Department

Vehicles needed

Cost

Dealership

Animal Control

Five trucks

$11,853

Parks Chevrolet, Charlotte

GEMS

One minivan

$21,391

Ilderton Dodge Chrysler Jeep, High Point

Building inspections

Five trucks

$102,336

Tindol Ford, Gastonia

Police

Six marked cars

$145,686

Ilderton Dodge Chrysler Jeep, High Point

Police

One van

$24,455

Tindol Ford, Gastonia

Police

One K9 SUV

$25,994

Bobby Murray Chevrolet, Raleigh

Environmental health

Three cars

$51,438

Tindol Ford, Gastonia

Facilities

One van

$28,167

Parks Chevrolet, Charlotte

Grounds maintenance

Two trucks

$40,259

Tindol Ford, Gastonia and Parks Chevrolet, Charlotte

Sheriff's Office

Seven marked cars

$169,967

Ilderton Dodge Chrysler Jeep, High Point

Sheriff's Office

Two vans with inmate security

$73,488

Tindol Ford, Gastonia

Sheriff's Office

One SUV

$30,618

Parks Chevrolet, Charlotte

Social Services

Four cars

$73,944

Ilderton Dodge Chrysler Jeep, High Point

Health Department

One car

$18,486

Ilderton Dodge Chrysler Jeep, High Point

Solid waste

One SUV

$25,956

Tindol Ford, Gastonia

Fire Marshal

One truck

$28,485

Tindol Ford, Gastonia

* Two vans for the Gaston County Public Library will likely not be purchased